If you’ve ever seen “New Girl,” you’re likely familiar with True American. The fictional drinking game — which is as patriotic as it is confusing — is a favorite among the sitcom’s characters, who play it sporadically throughout the show’s seven seasons. The aftermath usually involves horrific hangovers, divulged secrets, and dozens of empty beer cans scattered across the roommates’ loft.
Those bright red cans of suds belong to a brand called Heisler Beer. And though you might be able to cobble together some of True American’s chaotic rules, you’d be hard-pressed to find any Heisler to chug while you play. The beer doesn’t actually exist, but its on-screen presence is so extensive that it’s earned the nickname “the Bud Light of Fake Beers.”
Created in the mid-1990s, the fictional beer is one of dozens created by the in-house graphics team at Independent Studio Services (ISS). The California-based prop supplier creates these on-set brews for use in film and TV given the challenges, and expenses, associated with alcohol product placement. Molly Rummell, assistant manager at Studio Graphics, told Thrillist that as alcohol is often associated with more risqué scenes in media, real-life brands are often hesitant to align themselves with them. But since Heisler and its need for sales don’t actually exist, it’s free of those restraints.
“You can do anything with Heisler,” she says. “That’s part of the joy of it.”
While it can be seen regularly throughout “New Girl” — the show purchased nearly 1,000 cans and bottles of the beer during its run — Heisler Beer debuted in the 1997 film “The Rainmaker.” The brand initially only offered its flagship Heisler Gold Ale, but has since expanded to include Heisler Lite and a vintage Heisler label for scenes taking place before the 1980s. Since its founding, the fake beer — brewed at the fictitious Bilson Brewing Company in Sun Valley — has been featured in over 80 movies and TV shows. Its German-inspired, red-and-gold label can be spotted on cans, bottles, cases, tap handles and kegs in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Criminal Minds,” and “The Social Network.”
As for what’s inside those cans and bottles, ISS fills them with non-alcoholic suds to mimic the look of real-life brews should the contents need to be poured into a glass during filming. If the liquid won’t be seen on-camera, many actors instead opt to fill their cans with water or soda to drink.
Given its extensive life on-screen, the makers of Heisler Beer went so far as to legally protect themselves from copycats, becoming the first company to receive a patent for a fake brand. And despite its lack of availability in the real world, Heisler Beer has still managed to acquire quite the fandom, with a plethora of fan-designed merchandise for sale across the internet. Some fans, like those from Brew Your Own, have even developed recipes for homebrewing Heisler Beer. So, the next time you’re watching someone shotgun a brew on your screen, pause and take a closer look at the can in their hands — there’s a good chance it’s Heisler.
*Images retrieved from 20th Century Fox, NBC and @studiographicsprops
